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Well, it is official…..our beloved, historic church building has been sold and is now the home of the congregation of North Point Chapel. As you may know, if you have been following this blog or if you know our congregation, we moved out of our building at 19 N. Platt Street in Albion two years ago and put the building up for sale due to structural repairs that came with a cost far beyond our means (a renovation project performed more than 100 years ago removed critical struts that are now causing serious structural problems for the building). Since then, we have been worshiping in the Christ Episcopal Church building on Main St. in Albion and have been actively searching for a buyer for our building. It has been a very positive move for us and we have made the Christ Church our home – at least for the foreseeable future. The sale of our building is bittersweet, indeed…..while we are sad to see it go, we are happy to be relieved of the burden of its care and are very pleased to know it will continue to be a church to serve our community.

April 21, 2017 – Final signatures at the Closing of the Sale – Orleans County Clerk’s Office:

Catherine Moore, Secretary of the Trustees, Sanford Church, Attorney for AFUMC, Erin Gromley, Attorney for North Point Chapel, and Mike Outten, Pastor of North Point Chapel reviewing and signing the closing documents

NOTE: Reid Cole also signed the documents, but did so in Sanford Church’s office the day prior

North Point Chapel is now worshiping in their new building at 19 N. Platt St – they have renovated and are using the Sunday School wing for their services until repairs and restoration can be completed on the main part of the building. We’re told they have extensive plans to restore the building and look forward to filling it with people raising their voices in prayer and song!

I had to capture this – it was an emotional sight to see another church name on our wonderful building and the tulips we nurtured ready to bloom below!

We wish the congregation of North Point Chapel luck in their future and their new home! As for us…..we’re happy to have found such a welcoming home at Christ Church – we’d eventually like to pursue a building of our own, but for now, let’s take a deep breath and enjoy some time to reflect on the heavy weight that has been lifted from our shoulders.

On Sunday, January 22, 2017, Pastor Linda Glantz performed the Order of Dedication For Choir Robes to bless and put into service our brand new robes. The choir is so happy to have new robes in a vibrant light gray with burgundy accents. Here are some photos from the service:

Organist and Choir Director, Marie Follett, playing the prelude.

Choir leading the congregation in the opening hymn – “Here I Am, Lord“

Extra robes were also blessed and put into service to accommodate future additional choir members – anyone interested in joining our choir?

The choir singing our first anthem in the newly dedicated robes – an Acappella rendition of “Sing Out The News“

A big THANK YOU to Melanie Norton for taking the photos for me! I rarely get photos of the choir because I can’t sing AND take photos at the same time….and, I really didn’t want to miss capturing this important event! Thanks so much, Melanie!

The Albion Merchants Association chose the Albion First United Methodist Church as the historic building to be featured on their wine glasses for the Third Annual Sip & Stroll Through History Wine Walk in Albion on August 13, 2016. The congregation is deeply honored.

If you wish to purchase one of these glasses, see Lisa Stratton at The Hazy Jade Gift Shop August 23rd or after – they will be available for sale while supplies last.

Today – Sunday, July 3, 2016 – we welcomed our new pastor to our church family. Pastor Linda Glantz began her appointment with the Albion First United Methodist Church with her first Sunday morning service with us.

As part of the service, we held a “Celebration of Appointment” to show our support for her leadership. Here are a few photos of the celebration:

Kim Pritt leads the “Celebration of Appointment” and introduction of Pastor Linda

Pastor Linda reaffirms her commitment to the Word of God in her new church

Rachel Marasco, Judy Manley, and Marie Follett await their turn to offer symbolic gifts to help Pastor Linda in her ministry to our congregation

As we move closer to the end of summer…..having just passed Labor Day, the unofficial end of summer……I thought it would be nice to post a photo I took on my way in to church services on August 17, 2014 – just a few weeks ago. The flower beds around the church always look so nice and inviting! Kudos to all who work so hard to ensure our landscaping is beautiful!

Taken on May 4, 2014 – The Methodist Minstrels (Al Capurso and Doug, Ginny, and Jason Bauer) performed for us during the service. On the last song, “Get Together”, the children joined in to help play and sing!

By the way…..The Methodist Minstrels also performed at the Ecumenical Music Festival later that same day at the Albion Presbyterian Church.

Taken on May 13, 2014 – the tulips are in full bloom at the church – so pretty!!!

The Albion First United Methodist Church is hosting a series of discussion topics leading up to the National Stand Against Racism Event in April of this year. There will be four discussion sessions with guest speakers bringing important topics to our attention and open for discussion. Each session will include a presentation, question and answer time, mingle time, and refreshments. Come help us bring light and understanding to these topics……and take a stand against racism!

The first topic in the series is Human Trafficking on January 31st at the Albion First United Methodist Church at 19 N. Platt Street in Albion, NY. We hope to see you there!

Yes, we’re still here!!! We continue to hear rumors that we have closed our doors….NOT TRUE!!! We are still alive and well and providing joyful services to our congregation and our community. Please help spread the word…..share this blog with your friends…….click on the “Follow Me” button so that you are alerted to each new post with exciting news through your email! We will continue to remain in our current building as long as we can and when we do come to the time to move, our congregation and our ministries will continue on at a bright new location! We will survive and become stronger!

This past Sunday, we held a brainstorming meeting after church services. The meeting was well attended by members with energetic ideas and high hopes for an exciting future. The purpose of the meeting was to share ideas for what we MUST have and what we would LIKE to have in a new location. Along with the obvious need – worship space – things like having ample parking (something we sorely lack in our current location), a big kitchen, and room to hold dinners and events were all on the MUST HAVE list and spoke volumes for our desire to continue with our most popular and successful activities and ensure we have room to GROW!!! Now, does that sound like a congregation ready to close our doors? We left the meeting with several action items and a few committees that will start to work on preparing us to move forward! We’re so excited about what the future will bring our congregation and opportunities that will allow us to thrive and grow!

In the mean time, we continue to fill a growing need in our community – providing a warm meal to those who may not be able to afford one! On the last Wednesday of every month we hold our “Last Wednesday Supper” – a FREE pasta dinner for the community. We were very pleased to serve 70 people last month at our August dinner – the largest number of attendees in the long history of this ministry! Yesterday, Weds, September 25th, we increased that milestone by serving 73 plates of pasta!!! The people who depend on us for a meal are happy we are still here – we would hate to find that they stop coming because they think we have closed our doors! We will continue to do our part by offering this warm monthly meal with faith, love, and joy in our hearts — for now, it will continue to be served at our current location and will follow us when we move on! We will NOT abandon our efforts to fill this much needed ministry!

On August 29th, we held our Annual Beef on Weck Dinner! It was a highly successful fundraiser with a steady flow of eat-in and take-out plates heaped up with the popular Western NY sandwich.

And we have more exciting events scheduled and actively being planned for:

October 4-5: Fall Rummage Sale

October 19: Country Fair

November 2: Chiavetta’s Chicken BBQ Dinner

Yes – Albion First United Methodist Church is alive and well — visit this blog often to read all about the activities and bright future Albion FUMC has to offer! Come worship with us and share in our joyful promise!

On August 21, 2013 at 6:30 pm, members of the Albion First United Methodist Church gathered in the sanctuary for what Pastor Jack has called one of the most important meetings the church has held in the past 100 years. Our District Superintendent, Ted Anderson, lead the church conference that was called to determine the future of our church. The atmosphere in the room revealed the seriousness of the task at hand – the membership was keenly aware that there would be a lot of emotions, work, and sacrifices ahead no matter what the decision would be at the end of the evening – there was no easy answer or path paved with roses laid out for us. The meeting started with a discussion period to ensure everyone was clear on the options – a meeting the week before laid out all the information and many questions were asked and answered, but it was a lot to take in and the week of thoughtful reflection prior to the church conference surely raised more questions or need for clarification. Indeed, there was more questions and clarifying information offered. And then, the voting began….

It was decided that this decision was far too important for a simple majority. No, this must be an overwhelming decision by a super-majority to ensure just one vote didn’t tip the scale. And, so, in a single round of voting that resulted in greater than a super-majority vote, 36 of the 47 members present voted to abandon the building – turn it over to the Upper New York Annual Conference – and to remain together as a congregation to worship at another location. The thought of coming up with a million dollars to repair the building was just too overwhelming, although, there were some votes for that option. There was also a small number who voted to merge with another church. The option to discontinue as the Albion First United Methodist Church congregation and all go our separate ways was unthinkable – no one voted for that option or the other options on the table.

In the end, it was our desire to stay together and continue with our missions and ministries, no matter where we find to do that, that brought us to the path we have chosen. We determined that the best way to continue on as a congregation was to relieve ourselves of the burden that has been weighing heavily on our hearts and our pockets over the past several years and set our sights on the future.

While we know in our hearts that we made the right decision, it doesn’t lessen the emotions and sadness we feel about leaving our beautiful historic church behind. Many of us have long, happy memories tied to this building. I, for one, represent the FIFTH generation of my family on my Grandmother’s side that has a long history as part of the congregation in this building – I was baptized here, became a member – as many family members before me, and attended in the company of immediate and extended family as a child and off and on as a young adult. I was so happy to return as a member after moving back to Albion – it is “home” and I feel such peace and love here. There are many others in similar circumstances – members and non-members, alike – who have attended services in this building all their lives and have ancestors who worshipped here, as well. Many were baptized here, married here, raised their children here, mourned their loved ones here…….it is in our hearts and a part of our lives!

With the main decision now behind us, the work and additional decisions begin. Our first task is to meet with the Conference leaders to work out the details for turning the building over – the way we are planning to do it is new territory for all concerned, so some negotiation and discussion is needed to ensure a smooth transition. We plan to continue worshipping in our current building for some months, but at some point, we do need to decide where we will move to and when that move will take place – we will likely need interim facilities while we search for and probably renovate a more permanent home. And, of course, if circumstances should change – for whatever reason – in the coming months, we also have the option to rethink the decisions made and chart a different path. Lots and lots of work and decisions ahead.

But, we will do it all together and we will come out stronger as a result. After all, “WE” are the church and the building – albeit beautiful, historical, and forever tied to our hearts and emotions – is just a building. If we stick together and continue as a congregation, we can pave a new path for future generations to follow. And with the weight of our current building situation off our shoulders, we can focus more on doing God’s work and our service to our congregation and community. We will find a new home – together – and we will continue to grow and serve and worship – together!

To read the press coverage of our historic decision, click on the following links:

Our church is facing an enormous and difficult decision this coming week…..the members will attend a church conference on Wednesday evening (August 21st) to decide the fate and future of Albion First United Methodist Church – the building and church family!!! The membership will vote on a number of options ranging from repairing the church at a cost of nearly a million dollars to demolishing a national historic site and true work of art. All the options seem impossible to bear. As Pastor Jack said during this morning’s service, “this is probably the most important meeting the church has had in the past 100 years”!

Follow this link to read an article published today on The Orleans Hub:

Over the past few years, the church Trustees and membership have been compiling, researching, and analyzing possible solutions to a problem caused by church members almost 100 years ago in 1914. At that time, the members added an addition to the church, reoriented it, and changed the flat ceiling in the sanctuary to a vaulted ceiling. To do that, they removed the bottom support beams for the trusses. Over the years, this has weakened the trusses and caused the walls to shift – the roof is too heavy for the walls to support it without the support beams on the trusses, therefore, we are finding that the structure is seriously at risk. In December, temporary shoring was installed – beams that go from the Fellowship Hall on the bottom floor up through the sanctuary to the roof. These beams are in place to ensure the roof is supported and the building is safe – our main objective was ensuring safety, which was achieved by the shoring. But, this is a temporary measure that was meant to give us time to determine a more permanent solution. Engineers and architects have assessed the situation and advised alternative solutions, such as rebuilding the trusses from below and restoring the flat ceiling at a cost of nearly $2 million or removing the roof and repairing the trusses from above at a cost of $850,000, as well as two other options that are the same as the last option, except for the type of roofing materials that would be used to finish the job, resulting in different overall costs.

This past Wednesday, the membership met and all the options that were compiled were presented and many tough questions were asked and answered. Now, this week we are faced with the vote to decide the fate of the church. Do we agree to work to raise close to $1 million to do the repairs (a $500,000 grant has been applied for, but we won’t know if we are approved for it until October and, if approved, it is a reimbursement grant, so we would still have to obtain a bridge loan or other means of paying for the work until the grant money is dispersed)? Do we demolish the building and rebuild on site or on another site (an option that has its own set of massive costs and problems)? Do we put it up for sale? Do we merge with another church or find another local site to continue worshiping as a congregation as we are now? These, among other questions and options, are what will be decided on this Wednesday evening.

Regardless of what is decided, it will mean a lot of hard work and dedication from our church family and others outside the church family. No matter what is decided, it will mean difficult changes to face and adjustments to be made by all. We go into this meeting with heavy hearts and a great sense of responsibility, as well as a strong desire to stay together as a church family and do what is in the best interest of all concerned, including the building.

Please pray that our members come to the right decision – for the church family and the building – whatever that decision is. After all, the church is the people – not the building – but we have a lot of emotions, memories, and love wrapped up in the building, as well as the people! Pray that we find a way to continue our ministries – services that are important to the community and that are depended upon by those who benefit from them.

May the Good Lord guide us in our decision and hold us close during this emotional and difficult week ahead. Amen.